Section: Critical Reading Section 2

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Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the conclusion of the passage?

1. O’Neill’s plays, once popular in American theaters, are rarely performed there today.
2. In order to be a successful playwright, it is important to cultivate a specific and loyal following.
3. When O’Neill’s plays are staged in Europe, they are generally performed in English.
4. The audiences attending O’Neill’s plays in Europe are, for the most part, Americans traveling or living in Europe.
5. O’Neill never traveled to Europe.

The conclusion of the passage is that O’Neill’s plays are relevant to everyone, including non-Americans, and we know this because the plays are popular with Europeans. The correct answer weakens the argument, because if it’s mostly Americans going to the European performances, then there’s no evidence that the plays are popular with non-Americans.